Enclosed switch with external liquidtight operating mechanism



g- 16, 1955 T. B. TAYLOR ENCLOSED SWITCH WITH EXTERNAL LIQUID-TIGHTOPERATING MECHANISM Filed 001;. 28, 1953 PIC-5.2

INVENTOR.

Tracy 5. hy/or PIC-3.7

ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofi 2,715,565 Patented Aug. 16,1955

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EJJCLGSED SWITQH WITH EXTERNAL LIQUID- TIGHT GTERATINS MEQHANISM TracyB. Taylor, South Grange, N. 3., assignor to Federal lectric ProductsCompany, Newark, N. 3., a corporation of Delaware Application October28, 1953, Serial No. 388,769

2 Claims. (Cl. Hid-16S} The present invention relates to enclosedelectric switches and more particularly to switches that are pro--vision of an enclosed switch with external liquid-tight of the switchenclosure or casing.

A primary object of the present invention is the provision of anexternally actuated switch-operating handle which is so mounted on theenclosure or casing as to prevent the entrance of rain or other liquidor moisture into the casing through said handle mounting structure.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of anenlclosed switch with external liquid-tight operating mechanism whichmay be locked in either the On or OE position.

A further object is to provide a strong and durable mounting on thecasing for the switch operating means.

The above objects of the invention and objects ancillary thereto will befully understood from the following description considered in connectionwith the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings, which illustrate the best mode presently contemplatedby me of carrying out my invention:

Fig. l is a front perspective view of an enclosed switch embodying thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, on a large scale, on the line 22 of Fig. 1showing the handle in locked condition;

Fig. 3 is a view of the inner side of the cover of the switch casing,showing the switch actuating mechanism; Fig. 4 is a sectional view onthe line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig.2;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a locking member removed from the switchoperating handle.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the switch casing 10 comprisesa cover 12 which may be swung to open position to permit access to theswitch structure mounted within said casing. As here shown, theinvention is embodied in a front operated switch and is especiallyadvantageous, at least as to certain of its aspects, in relation to suchswitches. The switch mechanism, itself, forms no part of the presentinvention and detailed description thereof is unnecessary. It will benoted, however, that the actuation of said switch is accomplished insubstan tially the same manner as the switch in the application ofEgmont Arens, Serial No. 75,652, filed February 10, 1949, now Patent No.2,672,746, issued March 23, 1954, and assigned to the assignee of thepresent invention. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, a crankmember 14 is secured to the handle member generally designated at 16 forrotation therewith by means of screws 18 and 20. The crank element 14,as here shown, is in the form of a disk provided with an integral offsetear 22 which is pivotally connected to a link member 24 by a shoulderedpivot screw 26. It will be noted that ear 22 is offset, so as to enableit to clear the heads of the screws 48. The other extremity of the linkmember 24 is pivotally attached to an actuating arm 28 as at 30, saidactuating arm being pivotally secured as shown at 32 to a bracket 34spot welded or otherwise secured to the inner side of the casing cover.The other end of the actuating arm 28 has formed thereon an offsetfinger 36 which finger engages switch operating member 38 for actuatingthe switch as shown and described in said application Egmont Arens. Itwill be understood that when the external handle 16 is moved clockwiseviewing Fig. 1, to its On position the actuating arm 28 will be moved toclose the switch and when the handle is returned to the Off position theactuating arm will be moved to cause the switch to open. Positive stopmeans 40 and 42 are provided on the interior of the casing cover tolimit the movements of the actuating arm 28 in opposite directionsthereby also limiting the movement of the external handle 16 to a rangeof approximately degrees. The stop means 46 and 42 comprise anglemembers spot welded or otherwise secured to the interior of the casingcover as will be readily apparent from Figure 3.

Turning now to Figures 2 and 4, it will be seen that the cover 12 isprovided with a circular aperture 44. A ring like handle-mounting basemember designated generally at 46 is secured to the cover 12 by screws48 and has an inner peripheral hub-like portion 50 of a depthapproximately equal to the thickness of the cover 12 and which fitssnugly within the aforementioned aperture 44. Inwardly spaced from theouter periphery of the element 46 is a continuous peripheral groove 52adapted to receive therein a rubber gasket or 0 ring 54 which acts as afluid sealing member or gasket to prevent water seepage between element46 and the cover 12. Preferably, the rubber O ring is of such crosssectional diameter that it is compressed when the element 46 is drawntightly against the cover 12 by the screws 48. The handle mountingmember 46 is provided with an axial cylindrical bore 55 within which acylindrical spacer member 56 is mounted for rotation with a close fit insaid bore. Spacer member 56 has apertures 57 therein through whichscrews 18 and 26 extend for securing handle 16 to the crank member 14.It will be noted that the element 46 provides a relatively long andclose fitting bearing surface for member 56 to prevent water seepage atthis particular point.

The handle structure and its locking means are generally similar to thatemployed in the aforementioned application Serial No. 75,652. Certainstructural variations are necessitated by the water tight mountingmeans, however, so a detailed description of said handle and lockingstructure follows. The handle 16 comprises a hub section 58 and a handlesection 6%. As shown more clearly in Fig. 6 the hub section 53 hasprovided at its inner side internally threaded openings 62 for receivingthe screws 18 and 29. Thus it will be seen that any movement imparted tothe handle 16 will result in like movement of the spacer 56 and thecrank member. It will be noted that the outer end portion 64 of spacer56 fits snugly within a circular recess 66 provided in the hub member58. Arcuate grooves 68 are provided on the hub member 58 to save metal.

The hub member 58 is provided with a slot 70 adapted to receive thelocking element shown generally at 72 in Figure 7. Said locking element72 is mounted for sliding movement in the slot 70, it being noted thatthe lockingmember has an integrally struck laterally extending lug 74which cooperates with the slot 76 located adjacent to and incommunication with the slot 7 t as shown most clearly in Figs. 2, 5 and6. It will be obvious that the lug 74 and the slot 76 provide guidemeans for the sliding movement of the member 72 and that the extremitiesof the slot 76 will determine the length of the stroke of lockingelement 72. The locking element also tion.

has an outwardly extending projection 78 which slidably engages the slot80 disposed in handle portion 60 to provide additional guiding means forthe member 72 as will be seen in Figure 2. Locking element 72 furtherhas an elongated opening 82 and a rectangular opening 84 the functionsof which will subsequently be described. The handle mounting base member46 is provided with two channel-like or grooved portions 86 and 88extending inwardly from the outer periphery of the member 46 anddisposed at approximately 90 degrees from each'other as will be seen inFigure 1. These grooved portions are adapted to receive the lockingmember 72 when said locking member is slid to its projected or lockingposition, which position is shown in the full lines of Figure 2.

It will be noted that the locking member is provided with an arcuateshoulder portion 90 the purpose of which is to facilitate manipulationof the locking member to projected or locking position by providing asurface readily engageable by the finger of the operator. As will bereadily apparent from Fig. 1, when the locking member 72 is slidoutwardly so as to extend within the channel 88 the handle 16 will belocked in 011 position. Likewise when the locking member 72 is slidoutwardly so as to extend within the channel 86 the handle will belocked in On position. To maintain the locking member 72 in itsprojected or locking position a padlock or a plurality of the same isinserted through the elongated opening 82 as shown in Fig. 2 and asdescribed in the above mentioned application.

The locking member 72 is normally spring-retracted, being urged toinoperative or non-locking position by means of spring 92, Figures 2 and6. The spring 92 is mounted within the rectangular opening 84 andcoopcrates with the shoulders 94 which are provided by virtue of thefact that the slot 70 has an enlarged portion 96. As will be seen fromFig. 6, the outer diameter of spring 92 is of greater dimension than thethickness of the locking member 72 and it is the outwardly extendingportions of the spring that engage the shoulders 94 to normally maintainthe locking member in retracted posi- The handle 16 is additionallyprovided with a cylindrical bore 98 which houses spring 100 and ball102. The spring pressed ball 102 cooperates with the circular recesses104 and 106 in member 46 to provide detent meansthat function toetfectively position the handle in either its On or Off position.

As shown clearly by Figures 1 and 2, the handle mounting base 46 isprovided with an arcuate hood like portion 108, which hood like portionserves as a shield to prevent rain or other liquid from seeping betweenthe handle and its mounting means.

In order to restrain the member 56 from axial vmovement in an outwarddirection within the bore 55, the disc portion of the crank element 14is of a greater diameter than the bore 55 and makes sliding contact withthe inner surface of the handle mounting member 46 Whenever the handle16 is operated' Likewise, in order to restrain the member 56 from axialmovement in- Wardly of bore 55, the hub portion 58 of the handle 16 4 isof a greater diameter than the bore 55 and slidably abuts the outersurface of the handle mounting member 46. The fact that the disk portionof the crank element 14 overlaps the inner surface of the member 46surround- 7 ing bore 55 is additionally advantageous in that it providesan added safeguard against liquid seepage into the casing should anyliquid happen to reach the inner end of bore 55.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodirnents of myinvention, it will be understood that various changes may be made in thepresent invention without departing from the underlying idea orprinciples of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

1. A switch casing and switch actuating mechanism, including a casingwall having an opening formed therein, a bushing having a passage inalignment with said opening, a plurality of arcuately spaced fasteningelements extending from inside the casing, through said wall and intosaid bushing, a gasket tightly held between 'said bushing and saidcasing wall, a composite manual operator including a disk bearingagainst the inside surface of said wall, a handle bearing against theopposite end surface of said bushing, and a bearing portion between saidhandle and said disk and having bearing contact a with saidbushingpassage, and interengageable releasable detent means havingrespectiveportions on said handle and on said bushing effective toarrest said handle in predetermined arcuately spaced positions, saidfastening elements being effective to prevent rotation of said bushing.

2. A switch casing and switch actuating mechanism, including a casingwall having an opening formed therein,

a bushing having a passage in alignment with said opening, a pluralityof arcuately spaced fastening elements extending from inside the casing,through said wall and into said bushing, a gasket tightly held betweensaid bushing and said casing wall, a composite manual op eratorincluding a disk bearing against the inside surface of said wall, ahandle bearing against the opposite end surface of said bushing, and abearing portion between said handle and said disk and having'bearingcontact with said bushing passage, and interengageablereleasable detentmeans having respective portions on said handle and on said bushingefiective to arrest said handle in predetermined arcuately spacedpositions, said fastening-elements being eifective to prevent rotationof said bushing, said bushing further embodying an arcuate hood-likeportion projecting over the bearing of the handle against said oppositeend surface of the bushing, as a shield.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,050,854 Olley Aug. 11, 1936 2,100,722 Paulson et al. Nov. 30, 19372,202,207 Johnson May 28, 1940 2,216,298 Rowe Oct. 1, 1940

